Harry Potter and the River of Nirvana
by Arcadia-of-the-East
Summary: And so the last year of boyhood begins.... (part 3 of the Gretchen Saga)
1. Chapter 1

A/n: This is the third story in my trilogy. Please read Harry Potter and the Deatheater's Daughter and Harry Potter and the Year of Darkness before it.  
Disclaimer: All characters that were presented in the 4 Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling belong to her. All the others are produces of my own imagination.   
Part One: The Birthday Surprise  
  
"Explain to me again why we have to do homework at this hour of the night," Gretchen moaned. Harry looked up at her, partly because he needed to roll his eye at her and partly because he still couldn't believe she was there.   
  
"It's a curtsy to the Dursleys," Harry explained. "I mean, they've been so nice letting you stay and everything..."  
  
"Harry, they only let me stay become that pig in a wig son of theirs' thinks I'm cute." Gretchen sighed. "I swear," she said in a non threatening tone, "if he flirts with me one more time I'll-Oh, Harry! Look, it's your birthday!" Harry turned and looked at the clock behind him. He grinned.  
  
"It is my birthday," he said. "I'm seventeen." He raised his eyebrows and Gretchen a silly smile. She laughed and threw a pillow at him.  
  
"Stop being such a dope," she scolded between giggles. A sly look appeared in Harry's eyes. He threw the pillow back at Gretchen. Before he knew it they were throwing pillows and jumping on his bed like five year olds.   
  
"I'm gonna get you Harry Potter," Gretchen teased.  
  
"No I'm gonna get you Gretchen Locus," Harry teased back. They jumped on the bed. Gretchen slipped on a sheet and grabbed Harry as she fell. She landed on the bed, Harry on top of her. There was an awkward pause as Harry got up.  
  
"I'm tired," Harry announced. "I think I'll be going to bed."  
  
"Yeah," Gretchen said. "Me, too." She jumped off of Harry's bed and retrieved a sleeping bag that had been stored underneath the bed. She then when over to her trunk and grabbed a white night dress. "I have to change," she muttered as she walked into Harry's closet. As Gretchen changed in the closet, Harry changed in the bedroom.   
  
"I'm done," he called softly as soon as he had changed. Gretchen emerged from the closet. She got into the sleeping bag. Harry reached from his bed to turn out the lights, and then he went to bed. He lay there, still, for several minuets.  
  
"'Night, Harry," Gretchen said softly.  
  
"Good Night, Gretchen," Harry responded softly. He closed his eyes, but didn't fall asleep. After several minuets he opened them agien and looked down at Gretchen. She was asleep, lying on her left side. She was curled up like a small child, elbows drawn to her chest, knees next to her elbows. She looked peaceful, but she also seemed a bit scared. Harry wasn't surprised. They had much to fear.   
  
Since the night Gretchen's mother had died, much had happened. Voldemort had started his attacks agien, this time killing a family of muggles in Hermione's hometown. The next day the Ministry of Magic officials came and relocated all wizard families in the area, including hers. She had written Harry and told him about it. She said that she knew the people who died. They had lived across the street, she said. Amber had been in her grade, and she had helped Alli with homework.   
  
Anyway, Hermione was in Italy, now, for the summer. She said it was really difficult because she didn't know how to speak Italian, so Gretchen sent her a book she had learned before coming to hogwarts. Gretchen spoke Italian, but only rarely.  
  
Ron had written Harry earlier that week. He said that the summer was really boring, and that he was really lonely, since Fred and George were at work and he had only Ginny to talk to. He said he even found himself missing Percy's dumb conversations about homework.  
  
As for Harry and Gretchen, their summer was going all right. They'd wake up and join the Dursleys for breakfast. Dudley would spend the whole meal hitting on Gretchen.   
Sometimes, she'd flirt with him, just to satisfy him enough to keep him from throwing her out of the house. Harry and the elder Dursleys watched in horror as this happed. Uncle Vermon and Aunt Petunia didn't want their son getting involved with witch trash. Harry didn't want Dudley to touch Gretchen. She was too good to be touched buy someone who was more wide then he was tall.  
  
After breakfast was over, Harry and Gretchen would usually leave the house, sometimes staying together, sometimes going different places. Gretchen was fond of jogging three miles to a 'local' coffee shop where she would hit on collage boys. Harry would often catch her making out with some boy in the back of the room while he got drinks. That's why he didn't go with her most of the time. Harry didn't like seeing her with other boys. He did love her after all. Or at least, he thought he did.  
  
Harry looked over the edge of the bed agien to watch Gretchen sleep. He loved her. How else could a moment like this-Gretchen curled up into a ball with her hair all over, drooling on her pillow-seem beautiful.  
  
Harry rolled over and closed his eyes. He fell asleep. He had the same odd dream he had been having all summer. He would be going about his day, sitting in Charms, practicing at Quiddich, or just hanging out in the Gryffindor common room. Then, towards the end of the dream, he would feel suddenly warm, as if eyes from heaven were gazing upon him. Then he would wake up and climb out of bed. Gretchen would reenter the room after having used the bathroom, wrapped in a towel from her shower, and Harry would leave so that she could change and Harry could take his shower. On one hand, everything was going well. On the other hand, everything was getting boring.  
  
As much as Harry hated to admit it, he was finding it hard to appreciate such a normal life after all he had been through. A day wasn't a day if her hadn't broken at least one school rule, or insulted Draco Malfoy in the hall. Harry wondered what he would do at the end of the school year. Then end of his seventh and final school year, and he didn't want to think about it. The thought of not being a student at hogwarts was just too weird for him to deal with.  
  
"Happy Birthday!" Gretchen shouted, wakening Harry up with a start. He jumped out of bed and put on his glasses. His room didn't look like his room any more, not at all. There were red streamers all over the walls, and yellow balloons that sang "Happy birthday to you..." constantly. At the corners of his room, Gretchen had hung sparklers that shimmer and glowed. Harry saw that his dresser was piled with presents and, standing next to Gretchen, fully dressed and warring party hats, were Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny.   
  
"Happy Birthday, Harry," Ron said. Harry jumped out of bed and gave Ron a brotherly hug.  
  
"I can't believe it," he said after shaking everybody's hand and giving Hermione a kiss on the cheek. "How did you ever manage to pull this off?"  
  
"Weeks and weeks of planning and participation," Gretchen said. "We all pitched in a bit. I sent Hermione an invitation in the book I sent her, which she forwarded to Ron and the others. She was also kind enough to give them a note with some money asking them to get the decorations from Diagon Ally."  
  
"So of course I got them," Ron finished. "We came over on a muggle train last night and set these all up this morning. And of course we brought presents and everything. Mum even baked a cake for you." Harry beamed at everyone in the room. Never before in his life had Harry been given a birthday party. Now, for the first time, in the smallest bedroom, in the Dursleys house on Privet drive, he was having one. Then, Harry suddenly remembered.  
  
"The Dursleys," he questions, "what about them? They're bound to notice something!"  
"Oh, about that..." Gretchen said. Her lips curved into a devilish smile. "They decided that they needed to go on holiday this morning.... they went to London for the day." Hermione burst out laughing. Harry gave them a serious look.  
  
"Oh," Hermione, "you should have been here Harry. It was sooo funny. Fred and George, they're all grown now and can use magic, hypnotized them, and told them they needed to go to London for the day to look for...." Hermione could barely contain her laughter, "a purple fish stand. They went off smiling and talking about sushi. I've never seen anything so silly, Harry. Put don't worry about them, they'll be back by nightfall." Harry found that by the end of Hermione's story, he was laughing, too.  
  
The rest of the day was fun and carefree. They ate cake for breakfast, played party games ("I always did love pin the tale on the Hippogriff," said Ron), ate cake for lunch, watched a fire works display ("All these products and more available at Weasleys Wizard Wheezing"), and then ate cake fir dinner ("Did I mention that my mum made a huge cake?"). After dinner Hermione started to tell everyone about her summer in Italy.   
  
"It's been wonderful, so far. We're staying in Rome. I go see the church almost everyday..."   
  
"Church? You go to a muggle church?" Ron said, surprised.  
  
"Yes," Hermione said. Ron blinked. "It's not because I believe in God, it's because I like to look at the ceiling. It was painted by a rather famous muggle named Michelangelo."  
  
"Oh," Ron said. "You had me worried there for a second."  
  
"Why?" Hermione said. "Don't wizards believe in God? I always assumed they did, because we never talk about religion at all in Hogwarts, so I assumed that they believed in that, because most muggle do." Ron shook his head, but said nothing.  
  
"You learn about religion in your seventh year," Fred said. "It's a tradition. No one is exposed to the religion before the seventh year. It's a tradition."  
  
"Oh," said Hermione. She looked at her watch. "I better be going," she announced. "The Night Bus will be coming around, and I intend to be on it."  
  
"Yes, we should leave, too," George, said. "Father's riding the muggle train over here. He's really excited about it, and we're suppose to meat him there." Harry exchanged his good byes with Hermione and the Weasleys. Soon, he was alone with Gretchen once more.   
  
The next few weeks passed quickly. Harry met up with Ron at Diagon Ally when buying his new books which included A standard Book of Spells, grade seven; Advanced Transfiguration; Battle Charms; Advance Defense Against Dark Arts; and The Hermetic Books, which was actually a set of ten books.   
  
"Do they really expect us to read all of this in a year?" Ron complained. "All of then are at least a thousand pages long!" Harry hoped that they didn't expect them all to be read. Reading all of them would be hard, even for someone like Hermione.  
  
  
Before Harry knew it, and much to his relief, the summer was over, and he was once agien with Ron, Hermione, Gretchen, and Ginny, boarding the Hogwarts Express. After saying good-bye to Mr. and Mrs.Weasley, the five headed for their usual compartment, only to find that six strangers, and two familiar faces already occupied it.  
  
"'Arry!" Fluer Delacour shouted upon his entrance. She ran up and kissed him on both cheeks. "'Ello 'Arry! It's me, Fleur! And my sister, Gabrielle, and my littlest sister, Helen." Gabrielle, who Harry had rescued from the bottom on the lake during his forth year, wave. She looked exactly like her sister. Next to her was a small girl, around fifteen, with curly red hair and blue eyes. Harry guessed that she was Helen.   
  
"I gets a job at 'Ogwarts thiz year, 'elping with Transfiguration!" Fluer explained. That left five people Harry had never seen before. One of them stood up and walked over to Harry.  
"Hullo," he said. "My name iz Ixion White. Thiz iz my sister, Rhita, and my freinds, Bellona, Calchas, and Ajax. We are transferring from Drumstrug. Vho are you?"  
  
"I'm Harry," Harry said. "This is Ron, Hermione, Gretchen, and Ginny. It's nice to meet you." Seeing as the compartment was quite full, Harry, Rom, Hermione, and Gretchen moved into a different compartment, leaving Ginny to talk with Helen, who she seemed to be getting along with.  
  
"I wonder if any of them will be in Gryffindor," Hermione asked at once. Her cheeks went red. "They do seem rather nice."  
  
"Probably not," said Ron defensively. He and Hermione had been going out for almost half a year, but he still got jealous when Hermione thought another boy was cute. "Drumstrung kids tend to be a lot like good for nothing Slytherins."  
  
"Now that's a rude thing to say!" Hermione proclaimed.  
  
"Sorry," Ron said. "It's just that their headmaster was a death eater and all...."  
"Gretchen's mother was a death eater, and you wouldn't say that about her would you!" Hermione shouted.  
  
"Could we leave me out of this..." Gretchen said softly. Ron's voice over powered her.  
"I'm sorry Hermione! I didn't mean it."  
  
"But you said it!"  
  
"Those were just words!"  
  
"But you...."  
  
"And action speak louder then words, Hermione, and I promise to be nice to them, I promise." Hermione took a deep breath.  
  
"Alright," she said. "I forgive you."  
  
"Thanks," said Ron. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, and then looked to Gretchen, who looked at him. They hated watching Ron and Hermione fight. But at least they were happy most of the time while they were together. Harry knew that when you were in love, fights didn't seem to matter much. After all, he wouldn't mind fighting with Gretchen everyday, if that meant that she would love him, and kiss him, and be his girlfriend. But she wasn't his girlfriend. They hadn't talked about love all summer. Or the kiss they shared, or anything like that. Harry had tried to talk with her about it several times, but Gretchen always managed to avoid the subject.  
  
After the fight, things were quiet aboard the Hogwarts Express. They had a safe ride all the way to Hogwarts.  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Part two: Someone, Somewhere, Some Time  
  
Harry was surprised to find Professor Morrison at the staff table. Was it possible? Were they really having the same Defense Against Dark Arts professor two years in a row? Harry saw Morrison shake a new man's hand. He was a tall, plump man. His hair was the color of salt and pepper and tied back into a ponytail behind his head. The robes he wore were the color of tree trunks, and nearly as dark as his eyes. Even though Harry had never seen this man before, he knew that there was something familiar about him. It was something in the curve of his graying eyebrows, or maybe it was the familiar point of his chin. Taking a finial glance at the man, Harry sat down.  
  
Harry took another glance at the man as the sorting began. "Cornflower, Quembie" became the first new Gryffindor along with her twin brother "Cornflower, Quinn." After the sorting of the first years, the transfer students were sorted. Ixion White became a ravenclaw seventh year and his sister; Rhite (pronounced Rita) became a sixth year student of the same house. Bellona Tyme became a seventh year Slytherin (Ron gave a proud snort at this), Calchas Ward became a seventh year hufflepuff, and Ajax Lunan became a seventh year Gryffindor (Hermione gave Ron a look that seemed to say "I told you so"). Gabrielle, Fluer's sister, became a third year Ravenclaw student, and Helen, her other sister, became a sixth year Gryffindor.  
  
When the sorting was over, Dumbledore stood up. "Welcome! Welcome to a new year! I do say, this is the largest class we've had in a long while. But, as they say, the more the merrier, so let's get on with this, shall we? So that you marry many can enjoy your feast.  
  
"Now, we have some old favorites and new additions to the teaching staff this year. For the first time in a long time we have a Defense Against Dark Arts professor who hasn't left after one year. Professor Morrison is still here, he isn't teaching Defense Against Dark Arts, however, he filling Professor Flintwick's, may his soul rest in peace, place as the Charms teacher. He and professor McGonaggall were married over the summer. Due to her present...err.... condition we've hired a professor's aid for her. Professor Fleur Delacour, some of you may remember her as a champion in the triwizardry tournament a few years ago. Now, we have only one professor yet to introduce. Professor Zadrian Black will be teaching Defense Against Dark Arts.  
  
"Now, as some of your know, we had a brake in last year. In order to prevent that we are currently setting up spells around certain areas of the school. They are clearly marked on your map. Next week your Heads of House will meet with you to talk about school safety and what to do in an emergency.   
  
"Now, I believe there is only one more thing to address, and that would be Quiddich. After an immense amount of thinking, I have decided to bring back the Quiddich teams, and a cup will be awarded. However, practices will be limited to one per week.   
  
"Now!" said Dumbledore at last, "Enjoy!"  
  
Harry couldn't help smiling at the end of Dumbledore's speech. He was finally going to be playing Quiddich again. He didn't even try to hide his excitement. Everyone was cheering. Gretchen even kissed him on the check saying, "Congratulations, caption." Despite everything that had happened, Harry felt young and carefree again. It was as if all the evil in his life had never happened. For a moment, a second, a minuet, and hour, who knows how long, Harry was just a normal boy with living parents who fed him and talked with him, and a girl friend who realized she loved him, and two best friends who never fought at all. Then Harry went with Ron, a Gryffindor prefect, and Hermione, the Head Girl, and walked into the Gryffindor Common room. Harry was about to go to his dorm when Gretchen grabbed him on the arm.  
  
"We need to talk," she said. Harry walked over to the armchairs by the fire with her. "Harry, do you know who the new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher is?"  
  
"Yes, he's Zadrian Black," Harry stated in his happy bliss. "Why?"  
  
"You realize his last name is Black right?" Harry nodded. "What's my father's name?"  
  
"Sirius Black," Harry said. "Why...oh, my." Harry looked into her eyes. "Black is a terribly, terribly common name, Gretchen, I'm sure that he's not...he couldn't be..."  
  
"He is, Harry," Gretchen said. "He has my eyes." There was a brief pause.  
"Do you think he knows?" Gretchen shook her head, no. "Not about you or Sirius?"   
Gretchen gave the same response. "You didn't know about him, did you?"  
  
"Not at all," Gretchen said. "My mother always told me that, aside from Sirius who "abandoned" us in her opinion, that I was all she had. That everyone else was either dead or in Azkaban. I never bothered to check, to see if she was lying." Gretchen wiped a tear from her eye. "Pretty dumb, huh?"  
  
"No it's not," Harry said. "I've never check to see if I have any family, either. I mean, if I had any I wouldn't have been given to the Dursleys, right?"  
  
"I suppose," Gretchen said. "Still, if I found a spell..."  
  
"I'd do it with you," Harry said. She kissed him on the check again. "Thank you, Harry," she said.   
  
"Do you ever wonder what happened to them, Harry? Your grandparents? Or your aunts or uncles, I mean, if you have any? There are so many people who are part of us that we just don't know about," Gretchen said.  
  
"It's hard," said Harry, "but someday we'll know." Gretchen nodded. She arose from he seat and started to walk away.  
  
"Wait, it's my turn to talk," Harry said. Gretchen sat back down and asked what was wrong. "Nothing's wrong. It's not something that's wrong, it's something that's right." Gretchen looked confused. Harry took a deep breath, this was the hardest thing he had ever done. "Gretchen," he said. His voice was near wavering. It would be so much easier to look at the floor, but h had to look her in the eye, because looking at the floor would mean he was unsure, and he was defiantly sure. He had never been so incredibly sure before. "Gretchen...I...I-I completely and totally forgot what I was going to say."  
  
"Oh," said Gretchen warmly. "That's too bad. Be sure to tell me when you do remember, all right?"  
  
"Sure," Harry said. "See you in the morning Gretchen." Gretchen smiled and then headed for bed. Harry did the same.   
  
  
Harry walked down the hall, carrying his Hermetic Books, all ten of them. They had been given a notice saying that they were going to have the books stored in Chantal's classroom, so they were to bring them to class. So, Harry struggled threw the halls with all ten books, plus his Defense Against Dark Arts book, because it was his next class.  
  
As Harry walked in he saw many familiar faces. Ron and Hermione were there, so was his ex-girlfriend, Mandy, and Ravenclaw's newest students Ixion and Rhita. "Hello, Harry," Ixion said when Harry walked in and took his seat next to Gretchen. Ixion and Rhita took a seat next to him in the odd classroom. Chantal's room had no desks, only three rows of long table's and chairs that faced the front of the room. It was more of a lecture hall then a classroom.  
  
"Hello Ixion, Hello Rhita," Hermione said as she and Ron sat in the chairs on the other side of Gretchen.  
  
"Hello," Rhita said. "It iz very nize to szee you here."  
  
"You too," said Hermione. The class hushed as Professor Chantal Arawire took her usual place on her desk in the center of the room. She sat upon it (chairs? Not for Professor Arawire....) and began to address the class.  
  
"It's very nice to see you again. I hope that you're summers were all wonderful. Now, many of you may be wondering what all these books are for, so allow me to explain: These books are copies of the first words wizards ever wrote. They are our history, and they tell a very important story. They tell use of our origin, and what we believe in.  
  
"Now, unlike the muggle religions that many of you are familiar with, we have proof that all this exists. Many of the things you will read about have been seen, and photographed, and painted and so on. Like, for instance, the River of Nirvana, was we all originate from. Many people can remember the river after meditating for a while. In fact, this all leads to our very first assignment of the year.  
  
"Now, you're going to be choosing partners," the professor said. Harry took Gretchen's hand, and she gave his a squeeze. "You're going to read Book I-Now I know that sounds like a lot but it's really only a few hundred pages-and painting a picture about what you have read. Now, I know that you could do this on your own, but I find that it works better in groups. Often times, children will guide each other threw meditations in order to figure out what the river looks like. And that, my children, is the assignment. You are to paint the River of Nirvana. Now, you may pick your partners, while I call your named and collect your books. First: Terry Boot."  
  
Harry turned to Gretchen. "So, partners?"  
  
"Sure," she said.  
  
"Her-my-on-ni," Ixion said, "vould you mind being partners with me?"  
  
"Well you see...." Ron began.  
  
"Sure, I'd love to," said Hermione. They two walked off, leaving Ron alone.  
  
"Would you like to vork vith me?" Rhita asked him.  
  
"No thanks," Ron said. He walked off and started talking with Padma, a girl he had taken to the Yule Ball during their fifth year. Rhite walked over to Ajax.  
  
"Gretchen Locus!" Chantal shouted. Gretchen carried nine of the ten books to a shelf where the professor was storing them. "Harry Potter!" The professor shouted. Harry gave the professor his books. "Well, this is interesting."  
  
"Interesting?" Harry questioned.  
  
"Yes, interesting. You see, the two of you have identical book sets," Chantal said.  
  
"Aren't all books printed the same?" Gretchen asked.  
  
"Not these books. These are written by hand. When a person is invited to copy the Hermetic Books, they only make two sets. It's said that if two get the same books, that they're soul mates. But, that's just a rumor. Now, who's next? Ah, yes, Dean Thomas!"  
  
Harry and Gretchen walked away from the professor, blushing awkwardly.  
  
Though Chantal's words embarrassed Gretchen and surprised Harry, they sat next to each other during Defense Against Dark Arts. Gretchen tapped her fingers on her desk nervously before the class started. When Hermione asked what was wrong, Gretchen just said, "I think I just feel a little weird taking this class this year. Dark Arts killed my mum, after all." Harry alone knew that this wasn't true. Professor Black was Sirius's dad, and Gretchen's grandfather, but only she knew this.  
  
After Sirius Black had discovered that he had a daughter, they had written each other quite often, just to keep in touch and to get to know each other. Gretchen admitted to Harry over the summer that she wished disparately that he could be with her, but because he was a convicted murderer who had gone into hiding, he couldn't.  
  
The class began. Zadrian Black walked to the front of the room. "Good morning, class," he said. Harry studied his tone of voice. He seemed almost youthful. "I am you teacher, Professor Black. Now, today....."  
  
"Mr. Black," said Lavender Brown. "You aren't related to Sirius Black, the murderer, are you?" Professor Black frowned.  
  
"Yes, Sirius is one of my three children..."  
  
"Then why did you want to be a Professor?" Dean Thomas asked. "After all, Sirius did turn bad...no offense..."  
  
"None taken, Mr. Thomas. Sirius is actually the reason that I am here with you today. After you have a son who turned bad, you never want anyone else to go through...," he searched for the right word, "the pain that you go through. And the better educated children are, the lesser the chance of anything...bad...happening later in life."  
  
"But Sirius isn't bad," Gretchen whispered softly to herself. Only Harry could hear her. "He's the most noble man I've ever met."  
  
"Now, as I was saying, this year we're going to be studying the darkest wizards of all time. We'll be starting at the oldest, the Sumerian wizard Agga the Angered, and be ending with the most resent wizard to go bad, You-Know-Who." A few gasps were heard in the room. "Now, children, I know it will be hard to discuss him, but we have to. We can learn a lot from the study of history. Now, as we study wizards and witches who have gone bad, we will talk about some of their most famous curses and their counter curses, or potions, and so on. I have an especially interesting project for you to do over the Christmas holidays. Now, lets us begin by opening out books to page 12, were we first talk about Agga the Angered. He started his life as a good wizard. But at the age of..." And so the lesson went on.  
  
Harry was glad when the lesson was over. Professor Black was a good teacher, but Harry was finding it exhausting to listen to him. It wasn't that Professor Black was boring, or mean; it was just that he was Sirius's father. Harry found it dreadfully hard to watch a man who believed his son was a murderer when Harry knew that in reality Sirius was one of the finest men the world had ever seen.   
  
Gretchen, obviously, felt the same way. She looked rather pale by the end of the lesson, and barely touched her food at lunch. Harry, on the other hand, ate all he could. He found that he was starving.  
  
"You should eat," Harry said at lunch. "We have potions next. You'll need all the strength you can get if you want to survive a lesson with Snape."  
  
"I think I'll manage," Gretchen replied. "I think I've survived the worst all ready."  
  
When Harry arrived in the dungeons, Snape was there, as usual. "I was really hoping he'd be sick," Ron whispered. "He's more pale the usual." Luckily, Snape didn't here this comment. He was acting as rotten as ever, and, had he heard Ron, things would have only been worse.  
"This, thankfully, is your last year at Hogwarts," Snape said with an odd grin. "I won't have to deal with you for much longer." His face regained its usual, sour composure. "Class, this year we will be studying Bewitching Brews. Bewitching Brews, for those of you who are to thick to figure it out," he looked at Harry, "are spells, just like jelly-legs charms or leg-locking spells, but in the form of a potion. Potter! Why aren't you coping this down! Your N.EW.T.s are this year. You should be better prepared. Five points form Gryffindor."  
  
By the time Harry left potions his right hand was throbbing. Snape seemed to have been talking at the rate of one thousand words per second and he expected every Gryffindor student to copy down every syllable. Malfoy, on the other hand, hadn't written down a word, Ron had mentioned. "Don't' worry," Hermione said to Ron. "It will all pay off when Malfoy fails his N.E.W.T.s and we pass with flying colors."  
  
True as that was, Ron was still furious for the rest of the day. This annoyed Hermione to no end, and she went off to talk with one of the exchange students, which made Ron even more angry, which made Harry's head hurt, because on top of all his homework and Ron's yelling he was still trying to figure our how he was going to tell Gretchen he loved her.   
  
It happened as Harry, Ron, and Gretchen were walking threw the hall. Ron was complaining about Hermione talking with the Drumstrung boy when Harry stopped dead in his tracks. "I just can't take it anymore!" he exclaimed, to the great surprise of some passing first years. He threw his books on tot he floor and grabbed Gretchen by the shoulders, brought her close to him, kissed her, and then let her go.   
  
Suddenly, Harry realized what he had done. "Gretchen, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."  
  
"Yes you did," Gretchen said whitely. "And you have nothing to be sorry about, so please stop whining." Harry was shocked. "We spend all of our time together anyway, Harry. Now, I guess we're at the point were we can kiss each other instead of wishing we were kissing each other."  
  
Harry nodded. He and Gretchen picked up his books. Once he had them in his bag he put his arm around Gretchen's shoulders, she put hers around his waist, and they walked down the hall. Together.  
  
Someone, somewhere, some time smiled. Someone, somewhere, some time, cried.  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Part Three: Don't Use Your Eyes  
  
Harry paced back and forth as he waited. The trophy room wasn't the most romantic place on Earth, but it was nice enough. It really didn't need to be romantic. After all, they were just doing a school project.  
  
A school project with Gretchen. Well, maybe it was different now. He didn't understand why he felt like that. In his fifth and sixth year a project with Gretchen would have just been a project with Gretchen. Plain, old, ordinary Gretchen.   
  
I'm seventeen, Harry thought to himself, this is my last year at Hogwarts. Why am I still afraid of girls?   
  
"Hi, Harry," Gretchen said as she walked into the Trophy room. She looked really pretty. She was warring a black skirt and a white shirt. She wasn't warring school robes. Suddenly Harry felt silly. He was warring his school robes. Did Gretchen think this was a date? Was it a date? Could you ware school robes on a date?  
  
"Hi Gretchen. Are you ready to start?" Harry asked. Gretchen nodded. "Good. Umm, what should we do first?"  
  
"I don't know," Gretchen said awkwardly. "Harry this isn't a.... you know.... is it?"  
  
"I suppose it's not. Unless you want it to be a.... whatever," Harry answered.  
  
"No. I don't think I'm ready to go on a...you know.... yet. I mean, I really like you Harry, I might even love you, but I think we should just do school work now." Gretchen smiled at him. "You understand, right?"  
  
"Completely," Harry said. "That is, if you understand."  
  
"I understand," Gretchen assured him. "Should we start now?"  
  
"That sounds like a plan." Gretchen and Harry looked at each other awkwardly for a moment. Harry secretly hoped that this wasn't a date. Because if it was, it was the oddest date he had ever been on.  
  
"What do you think it looks like?" Gretchen asked out of the blue.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The river of Nirvana, silly. You know, the think that we're studying," Gretchen said with a smile. "They say that the soul takes form in the river of Nirvana. That it lives there before life and after death."  
  
"So my parents are in the river?" Harry asked.  
  
"With my mum," Gretchen stated  
  
"Do you remember it?" Gretchen looked at Harry oddly. "Don't look at me like that. You just said that the soul lives there before birth."  
  
"Do you remember you birth?" Harry shook his head, no. "Then how do you expect me to remember my life before I was born?"  
  
"Good point," Harry stated. "I suppose that we'll have to do a guided meditation then. Isn't that was Chantal told us to do?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess." Gretchen stood before Harry and took off his glasses. "Close you eyes," She instructed.  
  
"Have you ever done this?" Harry asked as he shut his eyes.  
  
"No. Have you?" Gretchen asked.  
  
"No," Harry admitted. "Are you sure you can do this?"  
  
"Trust me," Gretchen stated. She started humming, the singing slowly. Her voice was nice. It wasn't the most amazing voice in the world, but it was nice. Harry felt soft and warm as he sank into himself, into the darkest corners of his mind.  
  
He drifted as though he were under water. The water was warm, yet he was very chilly. There was something moving him about. Something outside, something above. All the while he looked, using he eyes frantically. There was no light. How could he see when there was no light?  
  
Don't use your eyes, something whispered inside him. Eyes of the body. The heart is of the soul. It was as if reality changed with a single statement. There was light, but Harry had no eyes. He started to panic then everything around him was hot, like anger and fear.  
  
This place was emotion. They were everywhere, surrounding him. Was that was the river was, pure emotion? And how could you draw feeling? Harry needed to go deeper, and with no effort he did.  
  
There was a sensation as if he was being pulled apart. A dividing. There was a hot, harmfully hot, something pulling him on one side, and a warm, gentle thing holding his other side. No matter what the hot side did it could not force the other side to let him go. Deeper, something inside him urged, and so Harry sank even farther.  
  
There was light again. Much light. Almost too much light. "Where am I?" he wondered. The question didn't matter. He knew where he was. He couldn't name it, but he knew it.  
  
"Harry. Harry! Are you all right?" Harry's eyes snapped open. Gretchen was standing in front of him. "Harry?"  
  
"I'm fine," he said. "Did something happen?"  
  
"Nothing, really," Gretchen said. "You shouted 'Where am I?' and I freaked out a bit." Harry nodded, smiling as he did.  
  
"It was nothing," Harry said. "Your turn. You have to go on a guided meditation. So stand there close your eyes, and um, meditate."  
  
"You have to help me, Harry," Gretchen said. "You're my guide."  
  
"Well, what do I do?" Harry asked.  
  
"Whatever you heart tells you." Harry nodded. My hearts a little confused right now, he thought. He muttered to himself. Deeper. Deeper. Deeper. You always had to go deeper.  
  
"Gretchen," Harry said, not looking at her. "I really don't know what to do, so..." But as he looked up Harry saw that Gretchen was beyond his understanding. He waited, watching her for only a few moments, and then she opened her eyes.   
  
"We have to get to work," she said.  
  
"What did you see?"  
  
"The same thing you did," Gretchen said. She took out her wand, muttered something strange, and a small canvas appeared followed by a set of paints. She grabbed a brush and so did Harry and they didn't need to ask each other what to do.  
  
  
Halloween, for the first time in ever, had been uneventful. There were no mountain trolls or death day parties that year. School was going fine. Harry was passing most of his classes (potions being the exception). Even his personal life was fine. He and Ron were getting along as good as ever. There was no reason to fight. Ron didn't really envy him anymore. Perhaps it had been losing Percy, perhaps not, that had showed him how lucky he was. He had things that Harry could barely imagine having, like a mother.  
  
Yet, even as things were calm, there was a growing tension in the air. It had started at breakfast one morning when Hedwig had delivered Harry a short note.  
  
The Great Hall. Eleven o'clock. Don't tell anyone,   
You are excused from classes. Bring Gretchen.  
  
Harry immediately recognized the handwriting as that of the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He tucked the note into his pocket. "What was that, Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
"Nothing important," Harry said.   
  
"Oh, come of Harry, tell us what it is," Hermione demanded lightly. "Please." Harry shot a look at Gretchen. He only hoped she understood.  
  
"It was a love note from a certain someone," he said as he blushed with embarrassment and shame.  
  
"Oh," Hermione said. She turned to Gretchen. "I thought that you were going to wait a while before you sent him the love poem."  
  
"I was," Gretchen said. "But why should I? What's the point in waiting?"  
  
"Well, there is none, Gretchen, but you didn't need to send it yet. You're not going to die tomorrow," Hermione said. "Well, I've got to go. I wasn't able to finish my Essay on Byron the Beheaded." She gave Ron a small kiss. "See ya."  
  
Ron looked down at his plate sourly. "What's wrong?" Gretchen asked.  
  
"She used to kiss me a lot better, like she wanted to. Now it's forced." Then he added in a whisper, "I think she loves someone else."  
  
"Ron," Harry said in a startled tone. "I'm sure that..."  
  
"No, Harry, I'm sure," Ron said. "I saw her kissing Ixion. She really likes him, Harry. He's nice to her." Ron stood up. "Well, there's only one thing to do."  
  
"What?" Harry asked.  
  
"Set her free."  
  
  
Harry and Gretchen sat in the stairwell. "What time is it?" Gretchen asked.  
  
"Ten forty-five," Harry said as he looked at his wizard watch. "Charms just started."  
  
"Dumbledore said not to worry," Gretchen reminded him. Her words didn't make Harry feel any better. The handwriting on the note had seemed to rushed, like time was running out. Maybe it was. Maybe Voldemort was coming. Maybe Harry would be dead. It's not like you're going to die tomorrow, Hermione had said. Was that true.  
  
"We should get to the great hall," Gretchen said flatly. She was worried to. "I don't want to be late." They marched in a straight line, Harry in front, Gretchen in back, heads hanging low. The great hall was empty when they arrived, none of the tables that had been out during breakfast were there now.  
  
".... I still think that you're making a mistake," Harry heard a muffled voice in the distance say, accompanied by the sound of shows on stone.  
  
"I know what I'm doing Mr. Dumbledore. I've been working with Gretchen for thirteen years," another voice said.  
  
"Oh know." Harry turned to look at Gretchen, who seemed to be making herself as small as possible. "It's Dr. Parkmen." She took a deep breath as the door opened and stood tall. Her shoulders were square and her manor was stern. "Hello, Dr. P."  
  
"Hello, Gretchen," the short, balding man said in a voice reserved for a small child. "How have you been?"  
  
"I'm good right now," Gretchen said, choosing her words carefully.  
  
"So your mother's death doesn't upset you?" the man asked suspiciously.  
  
"I'm good right now," Gretchen repeated. "I was upset then, however."  
  
"I see," Dr. Parkman said. Gretchen smiled.  
  
"Doctors say I see a lot," she whispered to Harry. "They like being mysterious, all knowing forces, you see? They always want you to think that they know something you don't."  
"What was that?" Dr. Parkmen asked.  
  
"Nothing," Gretchen said dismissively.  
  
"Are you sure, Miss Locus?" the doctor said in a threatening tone. Both Harry and Dumbledore gave the man a hard look.  
  
"It was private," Gretchen said firmly. Dr. Parkmen nodded and then jotted something down will muttering something Harry couldn't quite here. The patient.... cooperative.... obviously disturbed.  
  
"Come Miss Locus. Your bags are packed, it's time to leave," Dr. Parkmen said cheerily.  
  
"Leave!" Gretchen repeated. "I don't want to leave."  
  
"Miss Locus you haven't been contacting me as ordered, your mother has died, and you decided that instead of going with your foster parents, as ordered, that you would spent the summer in bed with some boy..."  
  
"We were not in bed together!" Gretchen blurted. "I slept on the floor. Even then, how does that constitute an expulsion from Hogwarts?"  
  
"Not an expulsion, just a suspension. You're coming with me and going back to Mungo's for observation. You are obviously disturbed." The fat man smiled. "Now, come Gretchen, or I shall force you to come."  
  
"I am not disturbed," Gretchen insisted. "I'm simply independent. I don't need you, Dr. Parkmen. I'm not fragile. I can handle things on my own."  
  
"You are coming, Gretchen. That's that!"  
  
"Professor..." Gretchen asked tearfully as she looked towards Dumbledore.  
  
"I did my best," was all the old man had to see. Gretchen nodded and turned back to Dr. Parkmen.  
  
"I'll go," Gretchen said solemnly. "Just give me a few minutes to say good bye." The doctor nodded. Gretchen and Harry walked away from the two men. "I'll be back soon. They won't keep me long."  
  
"Of course," Harry said. He had no idea how long she would be away. "I guess..."  
"No, Harry, don't say good bye," Gretchen said. "This is not good bye."  
  
"I can't stand not seeing you everyday."  
  
"You'll be able to see me," Gretchen assured him. "Just don't use your eyes." She gave him a brief kiss.  
  
"Miss Locus, come along now," the doctor called.  
  
"Harry, please, I don't want to go." They were holding each other's arms as if someone was trying to pull them apart. And someone was. Two men walked into the room and grabbed Gretchen's arms and started pulling her.  
  
"Let her go!" Harry shouted. He tried to hit one but someone grabbed him, too. Dr. Parkmen.  
  
"Harry!" Gretchen called. Harry struggled to get to her.  
  
"I love you!" He shouted as they neared the door. "I love you!"  
  
"Harry!" Gretchen shouted. "Love...." and then her voice faded away. The men had dragged her out of the door. Dr. Parkmen smiled. He pushed Harry to the side and marched giddily across the floor. He looked like a boy in a candy shop.   
  
Harry stopped him foot on the ground the moment the door closed. Why had he taken Gretchen? Why!  
  
"Calm yourself," Dumbledore ordered. The old man placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Calm down, Harry."  
  
"They took her," he said. "Why did they take her?"  
  
"Because they don't understand her. It is rare to find someone so brave," Dumbledore said.  
  
"If she's brave then why was she so scared?" Harry asked.  
  
"Bravery isn't about not being afraid, it's about facing your fears and over coming them. She's very brave. Harry, you are very brave. Calm down. She'll won't be gone long," Dumbledore said. Harry nodded.  
  
"What if he gets her there," Harry said suddenly. "There isn't as much security at Mungoo's as Hogwarts. Voldemort could get her..."  
  
"He won't," Dumbledore assured him. "They will only keep her for about a week. Actually, less then a week. Gretchen doesn't want to stay at Mungoo's. She won't."  
  
"That's right, she escaped once," Harry said. "She never told me how."  
  
"It's an interesting story," Dumbledore said. "Gretchen is very intelligent, as you know. She guesses that the containment spell around her door guarded against humans, but nothing else. So, in order to get out, she requested books about Animagi and studied it until she could shift easily."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes. She's a cat, I believe."  
  
"No, she's a bird." Dumbledore shrugged.  
  
"Get back to class, Harry."  
  
  



	4. Chaper 4

A/n: Wow...It's been a long long time since I've worked on this. Even I had no idea that I had taken so much time off. Well...here's part four. I think that it's a sweet chapter, but then again, I wrote it. You'll jus t have to reveiw and tell me what you think! Sorry about the delay-Kate Marie  
  
Harry Potter and the River of Nirvana  
  
Part Four: The Tale of Lily and James  
  
Dumbledore was true to his word. Dr. Parkmen was only keeping Gretchen for a week. Harry's heart leapt with joy when Dumbledore told him that he was sending Harry by train to retrieve her after breakfast one morning. However, he did have some concerns. "I've never been to Mungo's before," Harry said.  
  
"It's just a small endeavor. You'll take a train leaving from Hogsmede to Diagon Ally. Mr. Lupin, I'm sure you remember him Harry, will be waiting for you at the train. He'll escort you to the hospital. You will then go up to the front desk and tell them that you are there to pick up Gretchen Locus and hand them a note from me. They'll release her to you. Mr. Lupin will then accompany you to the train and then back to Hogwarts. It's about time he showed up for a visit, don't you agree?"  
  
"Umm…sure," Harry said. Dumbledore handed him a small, white envelope.  
  
"Don't lose this," he warned. Harry nodded. He had no intention of losing anything. "A carriage will be here to pick you up in an hour. I suggest you get your winter cloak from your trunk and tell your friends where you're going."  
  
Harry left the next empty Great Hall and headed up to the Gryffindor Common room. Ron and Hermione were there already, sitting as far away from each other as humanly possible. "Hey Harry," Ron said as he walked it. Hermione made a small face and turned away as Harry walked over to his friend. Harry nearly rolled his eyes. This was getting rather ridicules. They were competing over who said hello to him first.  
  
"Hey Ron." Harry sat down next to the redhead. "I'm not going to classes today."  
  
"What?"  
  
"They're releasing Gretchen from Mungo's today. Dumbledore's letting me take the train to Diagon Ally to get her and escort her back to the school."  
  
"Really? Thank God. Not that I want you to spent time away from your beloved girlfriend, Harry, but this situation with Hermione is rather awkward. If Gretchen's here then she can spent time with Hermione while we do boy stuff."  
  
  
Harry nodded. "I never thought of it that way."  
  
"I have no choice but to think of it that way," Ron muttered. He quickly changed the subject. "Harry, isn't it kind of dangerous for you to leave Hogwarts-alone- at a time like this? With Voldemort looking for you and everything?"  
  
"It'll be okay," Harry assured him. "I'll never really be alone. A carriage is taking me to the train. Then, when I get to Diagon Ally, Professor Lupin is going to meet me at the train station. He's going to come back to visit us at school."   
  
Ron nodded. Harry went upstairs to her his cloak. He felt a little guilty for not telling Hermione what was going on, but shrugged it off. He had a time limit. And, of course, his trunk was in a state of disorder. It took almost fifteen minutes to find his cloak, leaving just enough time for him to dash his way though Hogwarts, barely getting to the carriage on time.  
  
The ride to Diagon Ally was quiet and relatively uneventful. The carriage driver seemed rather nervous. "You're…You're…"  
  
"Harry Potter," Harry dully replied.  
  
"It's an honor to meet you!"  
  
"You, too. Err…can we go now?"  
  
"Of, course! Of, course!" After that the ride was silent. The driver, Martin Miggins, asked for one photograph at the end of the ride, to which Harry reluctantly agreed to. After one quick snap Harry was off to the train. He sat in a seat by himself, wishing he that the forethought to bring a book with him. The ride was rather boring.  
  
There was, however, one full proof from of entertainment for Harry: Thinking about Gretchen. He had had no contact with her since she had left. He missed her.   
  
"Harry!" Lupin greeted as Harry stepped off the train. "It's good to see you!"  
  
"Lupin!" They exchanged a quick embrace. "How have you been?"  
  
"Oh, all right I suppose. Things are no different then they were before Hogwarts. People…you know how people are Harry."  
  
"Yes. Of course." Harry understood what the older man meant. Lupin was having trouble keeping his new job(s), which was relatively understandable. He was a werewolf. Most people were deadly afraid of him and his kind. There was little he could do to make them understand that, aside from one night every month, Lupin was just as normal as everybody else.  
  
They walked to Mungo's from the train station, reminiscing on the days when Lupin taught at Hogwarts. It was nice speaking to Lupin again. He was lucky to know someone who had such a connection to his past. He was lucky to know a friend of his father, just as he was lucky to know Sirius, his own godfather. He really was very lucky, at least for a day.  
  
They walked into Mungo's. Harry walked nervously to the front desk. "I'm here to pick up Gretchen Locus," He sputtered nervously as he handed Dumbledore's letter to the witch at the front desk. She skimmed it briefly.  
  
"Chet! Chet!" she called. A boy who was a little older then Harry came to the desk. He had raggy-looking brown hair that nearly covered his in the from, but was completely shaved in the back, aside from a long rattail that went down his entire back. "Chet, please escort this young man to Gretchen Locus's room. He's here to take her back to school.  
  
"All right, then," he said with an unfamiliar accent. He's from Australia, Harry realized. "Okay, mate, please follow me." Harry obeyed and followed Chet to a fireplace in the center of the room. "You first," he said. "Just step on in. I'll make sure that you get the right place." Harry stepped in. He had never liked travel by fireplace. Don't we need floo powder? He wondered. Chet pushed him into the fire before he had a chance to voice his concerns. Immediately he went flying.  
  
Harry zipped upward at an incredibly fast speed. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see what was happening. Finally he handed with a plop into someone else's fireplace. "Harry?" Harry stepped out of the fireplace and saw a wide-eyed Gretchen staring at him.  
  
"Yes?" he answered, not sure of what to say. Gretchen's arms flew around him.  
  
"Oh, Harry, I'm so glad to see! I've missed you so much!"  
  
"I've missed you, too!"  
  
"Oh," said Chet in the back round. "So, that's Harry." The two broke from their embrace.  
  
"Harry, this is my friend Chet Parkman. Chet, this is my boyfriend Harry Potter." Chet nodded.  
  
"We met downstairs." He turned his attention away from Harry. "Well. Love, those brutes downstairs are letten' ya' go today. You take care, all right?"  
  
"Oh course Chet." Gretchen grabbed a suitcase in one hand and Harry's hand with the other. "Good bye." With that she stepped into the fire. She and Harry were thrust back to the main floor.  
  
"Love?" Harry asked as soon as they were both back on their feet.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Gretchen said. "Chet calls anything that has have-a-breast love." Harry nodded. It was true. Gretchen, being a girl, did have breast. They weren't big breasts or anything. There were a bit small, actually, just like Gretchen had once been.   
  
It was strange everyone was so tall now. Ron, who had always been tall, was now past six feet. Harry, who had once been a short a boy as you could find, had reached five foot nine, a height that surprised him more then anyone. Hermione, who he thought would be forever equal in height with him, was shorter. She was five foot six. Gretchen, the forever-short Gretchen, was still the shortest of them all. Luckily, she had finally broken the five-foot barrier. She was five foot four.  
  
Harry and Gretchen walked over to Lupin. Harry introduced his two friends. "You're Winetta's daughter," Lupin stated blankly after meeting her.  
  
"Yes, I am," replied Gretchen. Lupin smiled.  
  
"She really was a charming girl. Smart and spontaneous, and rather carefree she was. We were all fond of her, especially Sirius. Come to think of it had Sirius not been especially fond of her, I doubt you'd be around Harry."  
  
"What?" Harry asked.  
  
"Well," Lupin began as then walked out of Mungo's. "Out of all of us boys," he said referring to himself, Sirius, Peter, and James, Harry's father, "Sirius was the only one who ever went girl crazy. And Winetta was the only one of her friends who ever went boy crazy. She and Sirius inevitably hooked up. She insisted that all of Sirius's friends, who would be me, James and Peter, and all of her friends, sneak out of bed at midnight and have ice cream in the kitchen. I don't know how she thought of that, but anyway it was at that little social gathering that James first met Winetta's closest friend: Lily Alcott."  
  
"Really?" Harry questioned. "But wouldn't they have known each other already? They were both in the Gryffindor house."  
  
"Well, yes, technically they did know each other. They knew who the other one was. Kind of like the way you know someone like Colin Creevy. You know who he is, and you know some of his basic personality traits, but you don't really know him. Not personally, anyway."  
  
"Oh." Harry thought of another question. "When did they start going out?"  
  
"At the end of our sixth year. You see, after a while James developed quiet a crush on Lily. He'd go on and on about it. They were partners for some sort of potions project the beginning of that year. James had it bad. And I suspect that Lily liked him as well, but she was a shy girl. She didn't date much. Not seriously, anyway. And James, well, he wasn't interested in seeing her two or three times and then calling it quits. He really, genuinely, adored her, even then. Lily was just scared. So, it took a while. But, as you can see, for James it was worth the wait."  
  
"When did they get married?"  
  
"They were pretty young," Sirius answered. "I think that they were…let me think…nineteen, twenty. It was about two years after we left Hogwarts. Had everything been in James's hands they would have been married the second they got out of Hogwarts's doors. But Lily was more of traditionalist. And, as I told you earlier, she was quite shy, or maybe nervous is a better word, about that sort of thing. And, back then she was very idealistic. She was convinced that if she had just a little more time to work things out that she could get Petunia to come to her wedding."  
  
"My mom actually liked Aunt Petunia?" Harry said in disbelief.  
  
"Lily liked everyone, except for Voldemort and Lucius, maybe. She was a very kind and charming woman. She believed in trust and second chances and hope for a better tomorrow at a time when there was little hope or cheer. And she believed in family. She believed that a family, no matter how it is made, should love each other. Her parents, may they rest in peace, had recently passed away. James had passed away a long time ago. He told her again and again that there was no use waiting. Petunia was too narrow-minded. However, Lily believed in the general goodness of people. She thought that eventually Petunia would see how unimportant her witchery was to their sisterhood. But, Petunia never did change her mind about Lily. Eventually Lily just gave up. After a few months of planning, because Lily wanted a good and proper wedding, they were married."  
  
"Wow," Harry said. He started to hate his aunt more then ever. It was just so cold hearted, so cruel, so…so spirit crushing thing that she had done to his mother. Lily Potter sounded so wonderful. Harry wished that just more a moment he could see for himself if all this were true. "So, what did they do after that?"  
  
"Well, Lily went to work on her novel…"  
  
"Novel?"  
  
"Yes Harry, Novel. She was hoping to write a book that would serve as somewhat of a guide to muggle-born children who are entering the wizarding world for the first time. She wanted to make the transition easier for them. It was a very noble idea, but extremely complex. I'm afraid she never finished it."  
"Oh. What about my dad?"  
  
"Your dad? Well, James never did make much money. He inherited all her needed when his parents passed away when he was fourteen. His grandfather owned and operated a small sweet shop in Diagon Ally for a long time. It was quite popular. I remember going there once when I was about eleven. Your great-grandfather was quite a charming old man. He loved kids. That's probably why he opened the shop. And he was a simple man, never spent much money. When he died all the money his shop had made was given to his son. Harry, the man was rich."  
  
"Who rich?"  
  
"Just plain rich. James's father put most of it in Grimgots, saving it for a rainy day. Well the he and his wife died and James got everything."  
  
"So my father was rich?"  
  
"Well, yes. You've seen for yourself what he had. You've been down to the vault. Of course, he spent lots of it when he was married. With Lily working at home and him not having the best paying job for a long time…"  
  
"What did he do?" Harry asked impatiently.  
  
"Well, for the first few years after Hogwarts he traveled around Europe and worked odd jobs for a while. Then, after a two-year stay in the forests of Romania he came back to Hogwarts to teach the Care of Magical Creatures class."  
  
Harry blinked. "My dad," he gasped, "was a professor?"  
  
"Yes, very good professor too. You see, working at Hogwarts, he once told me, suited him very well. He had a free home, plenty of interesting people to meet, and a place near books were Lily could do research for the novel she was writing. And James did love animal. Next to Quiddich it was his biggest ambition."  
  
Harry pondered that for a moment, then asked, "If he deeply loved Quiddich then why didn't he become a Quiddich player?"  
  
"Well, you see, he was going to be a Quiddich player. He had drawn a contract with Britain that he planed to sign after graduation. However, on the last game of the season, right after he had caught the snitch and won the game for Gryffindor, a buldger flew smack dab into the middle of his hand. I swear if it had been going any faster it would have gone straight though. And it was his good hand, his broom hand. Madam Pomfrey did the best she could with it, but the hand was never the same. James could still fly well, well enough to be a very strong player for Britain, but he wasn't satisfied with the way he played anymore. That's why he decided to wonder around the first few years after Hogwarts after his seventh year. He wanted to find his nitch."  
  
"So, was he still teaching when he died?"  
  
"No. His last year teaching was the term right before your birth. Your parents were just turning twenty-nine. Lily was quite pregnant and with all the terror of Voldemort James decided it would be best if he left Hogwarts for a while. Lily agreed. Everyone knew that James was a powerful wizard, and she feared that someone would come after him and finish him off before he had a chance to see his son. They left in the summer, telling only Dumbledore, Sirius, Wormtail, and I where they went. It wasn't long after that that you were born. They moved into my apartment for a while and stayed there for a few months before moving in with Stella Rosenwinkle. Oh Harry, how they loved you. I couldn't even begin to describe it. If James and Lily had each other and you they had everything. They loved you so much." Lupin dried his eyes with a handkerchief.   
  
"Then, a few weeks later, they rented a small apartment in Hogsmede, which they kept until everyone felt that it was just too risky to stay there any longer. Then they moved to Godric's Hallow and…" Lupin sighed. "And the rest is history."  
  
Harry felt Gretchen's hand on his shoulder. Strange. He had come here with no thoughts other then thoughts of her. Now all he could think about were two young lovers named Lily and James Potter. Even stranger. Gretchen didn't appear to mind one bit.  
  
"Come on," she said. "We have to make the train. I have absolutely no intention of being away from my bed in Hogwarts for another night." Harry nodded. He followed her silently to the train.  
  
He had never known so much about his parents before. This was somehow…frightening. He had always loved them. Even before he could remember them, even before he knew their names he loved them, for, on some basic level, he knew they loved them. Yet, for his entire life, his parents had been, in a way, phantoms. They weren't really complete people; they were just the idea…the idea of love. Now they were complete people. The picture he had somehow placed in his mind of them was shattered and was no replace. Oh, the replacement. It was so much more beautiful.  
  
Harry Potter loved his parents.  
  
And that hurt.  
  
And then he was on the train with Gretchen and Lupin. Lupin had put Gretchen's suitcase and his small brief case up in the overhead compartments. Shortly after he fell asleep. Harry lie in Gretchen's arms for the majority of the ride. She was stroking his hair. "They were good people, Harry," she whispered. "You should be proud of them."  
  
"I am," Harry responded. He was quite for a long time. "It's just wrong Gretchen. They were such good people, and they loved me, and they were just taken away. It's wrong."  
  
"I know," Gretchen rushed. "There's no way to make it right Harry, do you understand that? There is no way to avenge them, no way to make the situation better. The only thing left to do is to prevent it from ever happening again. You understand, right? You can't make it better Harry."  
  
"I hate it," Harry cried. Gretchen ran her fingers through her hair.  
  
"Harry, I've had lots of time to think in the past week. There are lots of conclusions I've made. Harry, it is my belief that the day will soon come when we, you, us, everyone, will have to face that which we have failed to defeat, Voldemort, his death eaters. The battle is inevitable, Harry. It's only matter of time. And when you're forced to fight, or when I'm forced to fight, when everyone is forced to fight, but especially you, Harry, I don't want you to be fighting out of anger or hatred of vengeance. It doesn't work like that. You won't win. You need to be fighting out of love. And so that's why I need you to understand that you can't make this situation better. There is no way to make your parents alive again. If you somehow end up believing that you can make them better by honoring them though Voldemort's death they we may all be doomed."  
  
Harry considered her words. "But don't I have the right to kill the man who killed my parents? Can't the world at least grant me that?"  
  
"No, it can't," Gretchen, stated flatly. "It never gave us permission to kill each other for such stupid reasons. As cold as my words will sound, I must say them. Trying to kill Voldemort because he killed your parents is selfish and greedy. You can't do that Harry. You need to understand what's really important. Again, my words will sound cold, but they must be said. The important thing right now is not your parents and how they died young. The important thing is winning and making sure that no other boy's parents die young. We must fight out of love"  
  
"Isn't fighting out of love an oxymoron?" Harry asked.  
  
"Not always," Gretchen responded.  
  
"Then how do I fight out of love?" Gretchen took a deep breath.  
  
"It's hard to explain. You just…you just love something. Today. Tomorrow. Love it enough to keep it alive. Then you'll be all right."  
  
"And what do you love?" Harry asked sarcastically.  
  
"I love lots of things, Harry Potter," she answered. "But most importantly, I love you."  
  
A speechless Harry was held firmly in Gretchen's arms. It felt like she had just given him something, something he wasn't sure he could carry, something he wasn't sure he could live without, like apiece of her soul. So, this was what it was liked to be loved. Was she even asking for love in return? Was she asking for anything?   
  
"I think I..." Harry began to whisper. Then the train stopped and everyone was thrown from their seats.  
  
  
~~~  
  
A Public Service Announcement: Review! End of Public Service announcement.  



	5. Chapter 5

a/n: Enjoy, the review  
Part Five: Stranded   
  
"Harry?" A voice called as soon as the madness stopped.  
  
"I'm okay," Harry called back. "Gretchen?"  
  
"I'm fine. Where are you Harry?" Gretchen shouted.  
  
"Over here," he called back. "By the door."  
  
  
"Okay, I'm coming to you…Harry! Come! Quick!"  
"Where are you?" Harry asked.  
  
"Harry, hurry." The answer wasn't very helpful. Harry started trekking though the battered and derailed train. He thanked…something…that the train was relatively small and had carried relatively few people. He saw a man wearing a lime green business suit stand up and dust himself off.  
  
"What happen?" the man asked him. Harry didn't respond. He saw Gretchen. She was sitting next to a lifeless body. She was using her winter cloak to compress a wound on the body's head. Then he realized that it wasn't a body. It was Remas Lupin.  
  
"Lupin!" Harry ran over to them. "What happened? Is he dead? Oh god, please don't let him be dead."  
"He's alive," Gretchen answered calmly. "He's unconscious and he has a rather nasty bump on his head. It's bleeding." Harry nodded.  
  
"What should we do?" Harry asked her. Gretchen took a deep breath.  
  
"Find a door or a window or something and try to figure out were we are. If you see anyone get help! If you don't…if there's nobody here, wherever we are, then send up red sparks and get back here." Harry nodded and ran to the door. The windows were useless. The train was lying on its side. It was a miracle that Harry was still standing, a miracle that Lupin was the only on hurt.  
  
Harry pulled his wand from his pocket and used a quick spell to force the door open. He stuck his head outside. They were in the middle of nowhere, a forest. On the desperate chance that someone could see them Harry shoot up red sparks from his wand. Then he went back to Gretchen. "We're all alone."  
  
Gretchen nodded. She looked down at Lupin's pale face. "Hey you," she called to the man in the suit. He turned around. "What's your name?"  
  
"Rudyard Rocks," he answered.  
  
"Get to the other carts. Make sure no one else is hurt." The man scattered in the opposite direction of what Harry had just traveled. They were on the last cart of the train. The door Harry had used wasn't connected to anything. The other one was. "Do you think we have any water or alcohol or anything?" Gretchen asked.  
  
"Well I sure didn't bring any," Harry sputtered. Gretchen frowned.  
  
"We need to clean off his wound," she explained, referring to Lupin, "and we should probably wake him up and get him to eat something, or at least drink something. That is, if we can wake him up."  
  
Rudyard Rocks came back from his endeavor. "This cart," he declared. "It appears to have broken off from the rest of the train."  
"You mean we're alone here?" Harry demanded. Rudyard nodded. Gretchen seemed to be ignoring them.  
  
"Do you have anything to eat or drink?" she asked Rudyard. The man seemed puzzled.  
  
"I have some brandy…"  
  
"Get it." The man, again, dashed off.  
  
"Gretchen," Harry whispered grimly, "I don't think this was an accident." She looked up at him for a moment, and then nodded.  
  
"Do you suppose that we'll be attacked?" she asked softly.  
  
"It could happen." Gretchen sighed.  
  
"We should stay here, in the train, for as long as possible," she muttered. "I really do want to get Mr. Lupin to a hospital, but, you see they…they might have been hoping to kill us with the train wreck as opposed to after. If there's anyone after us."  
  
"Gretchen, do you honestly think that this was just a coincidence?" Harry asked flatly. Gretchen looked away. Harry put his hand on her shoulder, then leaned over and kissed her cheek. "We'll stay in here for as long as possible. But keep your wand in hand just the same. Just in case." Gretchen nodded. She took her wand from her pocket and held it between two fingers.  
  
"Here's the brandy," Rudyard said. Gretchen took it out of his hands and poured it onto her cloak. Then she put in onto Lupin's wound and pressed firmly. Harry looked down at Lupin for a moment, and then he looked up at Rudy.  
  
"Sir, are you any good with battle charms?" Harry asked.  
  
The man raised an eyebrow. "Why would that matter?" he demanded softly.  
  
"Well…you see…I'm Harry Potter, and this is Gretchen Locus and he's Remas Lupin and I'm afraid that neither of us is no Voldemort's good side." The man was silent.  
  
"In other words," Gretchen said, looking up from Lupin. "Harry and me are the first to names on Voldemort's hit list, and Lupin here is somewhere in the top ten."  
  
"You think that you-know-who-"  
  
"Yes," Harry said, cutting him off. "We think that there's a very good chance that Voldemort is responsible for this train accident." Rudyard nodded. He pulled out his want from his coat pocket, then went over and sat by himself, as far away from Gretchen and Harry as possible.  
  
"I really wish we had stopped to eat something before we caught the train, I'm starved," Gretchen muttered. "But oh well. At least the moon will beautiful tonight?"  
  
"Really?" Harry questioned.  
  
"Yes. It's full."  
  
"What!"   
  
"There's a full moon tonight."  
  
"Gretchen," Harry said in a mock-calm voice. "There's something you should know about Lupin. He's a werewolf." Gretchen's jaw dropped. She closed it quickly and took a few deep breaths.  
  
"Well," she sputtered. "That makes things a little more complicated." Harry nodded.  
  
"Just a bit," he added. "Gretchen, how long can you hold your animagi shift?" Harry asked. Over the years, the class of students learning how to become animagi had become smaller and smaller. In fact, Harry, Hermione, and Gretchen were the only three people who were still enrolled. And Hermione, a genius with all forms of magic, wasn't doing all that well. Harry was having trouble, too, but Hermione was just doing horribly. Had she been anyone else she would have dropped the class. But being Hermione, she was still there.  
  
Gretchen was definitely doing best. She could perform almost everything with ease. Harry was doing all right. He had inherited part of his father's transfiguration talent, but not as much as he would have liked. "Well?"  
  
"Harry, there's something I need to tell you," Gretchen said meekly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well you see, when I was in Mungo's the first time there was the tradition that said…"  
  
"Yes, I know about that. Dumbledore told me. He said that you taught yourself how to be an animagus and escaped and that shortly after that they let you come to Hogwarts."  
  
"Yes. That's exactly what happened. I'm so relieved that you know that. So, to answer your question I'm having trouble holding the crane for more then an hour, but I can be a cat for as long as I please."  
  
"Cat?" Harry questioned.  
  
"I thought you said that Dumbledore told you," Gretchen answered.  
  
"He never mentioned that you were a cat," Harry said.  
  
"Oh." Gretchen lifted her now-ruined cloak to see his Lupin was still bleeding. He wasn't. She set her cloak off to the side and the shifted into a cat. As a cat she was a bit strange looking. She had a short, black coat with a silver stripe going from its ears all the way to the tip of her tail. She also had silver markings at the bottom of she hind legs, almost like boots, and a star-like mark on her left hip, similar to her markings as a crane. She looked oddly familiar, like her had seen her life this before…  
  
Gretchen shifted back into her normal form. She waited quietly for Harry's reaction. "If only you were a bigger animal," he said at last. "Then you could keep the werewolf calm. Or at least keep him from eating us."  
  
"We should try to wake up Lupin," Gretchen said. "He might know something we don't." Harry nodded. They tried shaking his shoulders and calling his name, but gave up after a few minutes. Harry sighed.  
  
"He's still out cold."  
  
"Maybe he'll just sleep though the whole werewolf thing," Gretchen suggested.  
  
"Well, I guess he wouldn't eat us then. But if he's still unconscious, even after so long, then it would mean that he's seriously hurt, and I don't want to think about that." Gretchen sighed.  
  
"We may have to," she said. "How long have we been in here?"  
  
Harry looked at his watch. "An hour, I suppose."  
  
"When was the train supposed to pull in at Hogsmede?"  
  
"A half an hour ago." Gretchen nodded.  
  
"Do you think they've noticed that we're gone yet?" Harry shrugged.  
  
"I hope they have. I think our only way out of this one is being rescued," Harry told her. "Unless," he added, "we leave and try to make it to Hogsmede on foot."  
  
"Do you think it's safe?" Gretchen asked.  
  
"Of course not," Harry answered her. "I mean, we could be attacked by Voldemort, or just a creature in the forest, or we could get miserable lost and never find our way. Not to mention the fact that we're going to have to carry Lupin, which will make everything more complicated. But, things aren't going to be much better if we stay here. I mean, eventually we'd starve to death."  
  
"Yes, we would," Gretchen agreed. "We don't have to worry about getting lost, though. All we have to do is follow the train tracks. They should lead us back to hogsmede, and we'll be able to get to Hogwarts from there."  
  
"So we go?" Harry asked her. Gretchen nodded.  
  
"We go," she replied. "But what do we do about him?" Gretchen gestured toward   
Rudyard.  
  
"He's bound to notice us leaving. If he wants to come he's welcome." Harry and Gretchen stood up and then lifted Lupin. They were quickly able to balance the man between them. The door of the over turned cart was still open. Harry went though first, and then they got Lupin out, and then Gretchen. After that they were on their way.  
  
For the first hour the walk on the train tracks was surprisingly uneventful. Aside from both being tired and hungry and worried about Lupin Harry and Gretchen were all right. "We should take a brake," Harry said. They were taking brakes once every hour. It was cold out, and there shoulders hurt because of Lupin's extra weight. They both sat down.  
  
"What time is it?" Gretchen asked.  
  
"It's almost two o'clock. We were supposed to be back at Hogwarts Two hours ago. They must have noticed that something's wrong by now." Gretchen held up her hand to silence him. "What is it?" he asked.   
  
"Do you hear that?" she asked. Harry shook his head no. They both grabbed Lupin and started walking forward. Gretchen was silent, still trying to figure out what she heard. "Oh my gosh," she said suddenly. "Harry, get off the tracks."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said get off the tracks."  
  
"But why…" Gretchen wasn't listening. She used all her strength to shove Harry and Lupin around. Everyone started tumbling away from the train tracks. All of the sudden Harry heard a loud noise. He saw the leaves of the trees move as if a train was passing, he heard the train passing, but he couldn't see a thing. Then everything calmed down. "What was that?" he asked.  
  
"It was a train," Gretchen responded. "An invisible class. They use it when the person they're transporting doesn't want much publicity."  
  
"Oh," Harry responded. "How did you know it was coming?"  
  
"I could hear it," Gretchen said. Harry nodded.  
  
"Well, thanks for saving us." Gretchen nodded.  
  
"No problem." The to got up again, lifted Lupin, and continued walking. After a while the sun began to set. They were both worried. Dragging Lupin back to Hogsmede was hard enough. Dragging a werewolf back to hogsmede would be even harder. Then again, it would be better then going back to hogsmede while being chased by a werewolf, Harry assumed. Luckily for them it was a cloudy night. They never caught sight of the moon. Even so, Lupin started making some weird howling noises around eight, which cause Gretchen to become so frightened that she dropped him and started running away. Finally, around eleven thirty, two figures, carrying a third, every battered and belittled figures walked into a silent village of Hogsmede. And they both collapsed, exhausted.  
~~~  
"Harry," someone whispered. "Harry wake up." Harry decided to ignore it. Every muscle in his body told him that he was too tired to move. The owner of the voice, however, would not settle for this response. Harry was kicked in the shins.  
  
"Hey," he said, opening his eyes. "Who did that?"  
  
"Me," Gretchen whispered. "I thought it would be more effective then a kiss from princess charming." Harry thought for a moment.  
  
"Can I have a kiss from princess charming anyway?" he asked. Gretchen blushed and kissed him. Harry kissed her back. They she broke away. Harry sat up. "How long were we asleep?"  
  
"An hour," Gretchen told him. "We need to get moving. I really, really, really want to go home."  
  
"Gretchen," Harry admitted, "I don't know how to get to Hogwarts from here." She frowned at him.  
  
"If we can't get to Hogwarts," she said, "then we simply must make hogwarts come to us." Harry blinked at her.  
  
"How?"  
  
"We'll owl Dumbledore." She helped Harry to his feet. Then they steadied Lupin and walked to the owl post. They quietly slid in and set Lupin down in a chair and started rubbing their arms together. Harry and Gretchen were both freezing. Neither had been waring a winter cloak. Gretchen's had been ruined with blood, Harry had put his on Lupin, figuring that he needed it more. Lupin groaned. "I think he's waking up," Gretchen whispered. And sure enough he was. Lupin blinked a few times, trying to get the world into focus.  
  
"What…"  
  
"Save your strength," Harry said. "It will all be okay, soon." Harry and Gretchen walked up to tired looking man at the desk. "We need one speedy delivery owl," Harry said.  
  
"That will be three gantets," The man said.  
  
"Err…we don't have any money. This is an emergency. You see, we…"  
  
"Look kid," he said. "If you have no money you have no owl."  
  
"But you see…" Harry began, but the man turned away. He and Gretchen exchanged a desperate look. She walked up to the front desk. She grabbed a page of the Daily Prophet.  
  
"Will we be charged if we barrow a quill?" The man wasn't amused. He handed her a quill and some purple ink. Gretchen quickly scribbled a message in the margins of the paper.  
  
Dumbledore-  
This is Gretchen and Harry. Train accident. We're all right. Lupin's hurt. Has a nasty bump on the head. Just woke up. We're at the owl post office in Hogsmede. Please help. We're stranded. Help. Hurry.-Gretchen Locus  
  
Gretchen folded up the rushed note in her hands. She walked over to the owl cages. "Hey, I already told you, you can't use the owls unless you can pay," the wizard said.  
  
"I'm just looking." Gretchen walked over to the cage of a fast looking owl. She tapped the cage, opened it, grabbed the owl, and put her not onto it's leg in what seemed like a matter of seconds.   
  
"Hey!" the wizard shouted, running over to him. Harry grabbed his arm and tried to keep him away.  
  
"Get to Hogwarts! Get to Dumbledore!" Gretchen told the owl as she released it. It sped away. Harry fell onto the floor as the wizard became free from his grip. The wizard grabbed Gretchen's wrist with one hand and slapped her with the other.  
  
"Hey!" Harry called.  
  
"How dare you! Now you're in trouble." He grabbed Harry's wrist and threw both he and Gretchen into chairs by Lupin. "I'm calling the police," he declared. He walked over and started writing a small note.  
  
"We'll be all right," Gretchen assured Harry. "Dumbledore is coming." She turned her attention to Lupin. "How are you feeling?" she asked. Lupin looked at he strangely.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked. Harry's jaw dropped.  
  
"You don't remember her?"  
  
"No. Harry what's going on? My head, it feels like it's on fire," Lupin complained.  
  
"Don't worry, Lupin. We're okay. What's the last thing you remember?" Harry asked.  
  
"I had just taken a small draft of my potion. The full moon was two days away so I had to start preparing. I went to bed. I was going to meet you on the train the next day…it's the next day isn't it?" Lupin said.  
  
"Yes," Harry told him. "It's the next day. You met me at the train this morning. This is Gretchen we picked her up from Mungo's. They we were on the train, coming back to hogsmede, when it crashed. You took a nasty bump to the head and you've been unconscious all day. We were worried sick about you."  
  
"Where are we?" Lupin asked.  
  
"We're at the owl post in Hogsmede," Gretchen told him. "Harry and I carried you here. We just sent Dumbledore a letter. He should be here soon." Lupin nodded, then stopped because it obviously hurt.   
  
"Oh my!" he said suddenly. "Tonight's the full moon!"  
  
"There's not a sat in the sky tonight," Harry told him. "It's too cloudy." Lupin closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall behind him. Harry turned his head as the door opened. "Dumbledore!"  
  
"Not Dumbledore," the man at the desk said. Two wizards warring navy blue robes walked in. The chatted with the man at the counter for a moment, then walked over to Gretchen, Lupin, and Harry.   
  
"Could you please stand up, miss, and hold you hands up." Gretchen did as she was asked. She shott Harry a desperate look. He didn't know what to do. One of the wizards ran his hands over her robes, taking her wand out from her pocket. When he stood up the other grabbed her hands and put them behind her back before placing them in cuffs. "All right, miss. You're under arrest for stealing the services of The Hogsmede Owl Post. You are to be silent. We'll be taking you to the station. Do you understand?" Gretchen nodded. "All right, lets…"  
  
"What's going on here?" Dumbledore pocked his head though the doorway. Harry jumped to his feet and Lupin opened his eyes. "Harry, Gretchen, are you all right? Officer, what's going on?"  
  
"That girl," the man behind the desk said, "took my owl. Didn't pay me a Knut. She stole from me and now she's going to pay." Dumbledore stared at the man in disbelief.  
  
"And you hadn't the heart to let them use it anyway? Didn't you understand what was happening? Didn't you know this was a desperate situation?" Dumbledore demanded.  
"No money, no service." Dumbledore sighed.  
  
"How much do you need?" The man told Dumbledore the price and he quickly handed over the money. The wizard police released Gretchen. Dumbledore walked over to Lupin. "How are you feeling?"  
"A little confused," Lupin said. Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder.   
  
"Hagrid is bringing a carriage from the school. He'll be here momentarily," Dumbledore said. He turned to Harry and Gretchen. "Are you both all right?" They nodded. "Remas, do you think you can walk. I believe it would be best if we waited outside."  
  
"I think so," Lupin said. He got up from his chair and took a step, nearly falling flat on his face. Dumbledore caught him. Harry walked up to Lupin and put the man's arm over his shoulder so that he could support his weight. Dumbledore did the same. He handed his broom, which he had been holding and had probably used to fly over to Hogsmede, to Gretchen. She held open the door and they all walked outside.  
  
The carriage came. Harry and Dumbledore helped Lupin into the carriage before they and Gretchen climbed in themselves. "Harry, what happened?" Hagrid asked immediately. "You scared 'da who 'chool half ta death!"  
  
"All in good time Hagrid," Dumbledore said, sensing that both Harry and Gretchen were exhausted. "Let us get back to Hogwarts and make sure Lupin is all right before we start with any of that."  
  
"And eat," Gretchen put in. "It don't think any of us have had a bite since this morning." Dumbledore nodded. The carriage drove off into the night. 


End file.
